This booklet on smart water harvesting describes a number of creative solutions in situations where there seems to be no water. It shows practical efforts to "create water", especially in drought prone areas. It does not limit itself to the act of harvesting, but includes capturing water during periods of rain, so that it is available for periods of drought. The book is an effective source of inspiration for local communities, civil engineers, NGOs, research institutes, donors and governments.
NWP (2007): Smart Water Harvesting Solutions . Examples of innovative low-cost technologies for rain, fog, runoff water and groundwater. (= Smart water solutions ). Amsterdam: KIT Publishers URL [Accessed: 12.03.2019] PDFLibrary
This website provides a brief overview on the most important topics of rainwater harvesting.
The Blue Drop Series on Water Harvesting and Utilisation is divided into three and each one has a specific target group- policy makers, beneficiaries and capacity and implementing agencies. The publications give an overview of the concept of rainwater and have a focus on the legal and administrative framework for rainwater harvesting. Book 3: Project Managers and Implementing Agencies.
UN-HABITAT (2005): Rainwater Harvesting and Utilisation. Blue Drop Series, Book 3: Beneficiaries & Capacity. Nairobi: UN-Habitat. . UN-Habitat URL [Accessed: 12.03.2019] PDFThe following report details the components and illustrates the highlights of a first flush system called the Brazilian Ball Pre-Filter System.
DOLMAN, B. LUNDQUIST, K. (2008): Roof Water Harvesting for a low Impact Water Supply: Featuring the Brazilian Ball Pre-Filter System: A Case Study. Occidental: The WATER Institute Occidental Arts and Ecology Center (OAEC) URL [Accessed: 12.03.2019] PDFThis is the story of how the youth in Kibera slum (Nairobi, Kenya) confront daily challenges on sanitation and hygiene. The young Kibera residents, who filmed and edited the film, range in age from 9 to 19 years. Kibera slum, Kenya and Africa's largest slum is home to about one million people living in abject poverty without clean water, toilets, electricity and sewerage. Time: 7”47. Language: English subtitles.
This book provides a general introduction to a wide range of technologies. Among the topics covered are: planning and management of small water supplies, community water supplies in Central and Eastern European countries, water quality and quantity, integrated water resources management, artificial recharge, rainwater harvesting, spring water tapping, groundwater withdrawal, water lifting, surface water intake, water treatment, aeration, coagulation and flocculation, sedimentation, multi-stage filtration, desalination technology, disinfection, household level water treatment, technologies for arsenic and iron removal from ground water, and emergency and disaster water supply. Chapter 7: Rain Water Harvesting
SMET, J. ; WIJK, C. van (2002): Small Community Water Supplies: Technology, People and Partnership: Rain Water Harvesting - Chapter 7. The Hague: International Water and Sanitation Centre (IRC) URL [Accessed: 12.03.2019] PDFThis website of the university of Warwick provides a broad range of technical manuals, case studies and general information on rainwater harvesting.
This handbook has been written to assist NGO and government staff responsible for implementing domestic roofwater harvesting systems or programmes. It can be used to design single roofwater harvesting systems. The handbook focuses primarily on low-cost DRWH in the ‘humid tropics’ (areas close to the Equator with average rainfall over 800 mm).
THOMAS, T.H. MARTINSON, D.B. (2007): Roofwater Harvesting: A Handbook for Practitioners. Delft: IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre URL [Accessed: 12.03.2019] PDFThis document provides general guidance on the collection, care and storage of rainwater in domestic tanks. It is written especially for the Australian state, but is adaptable for other countries too.
ENHEALTH (2004): Guidance on the Use of Rainwater Tanks. Canberra: Environmental Health Committee (enHealth) URL [Accessed: 12.03.2019] PDFThe Blue Drop Series on Water Harvesting and Utilisation is divided into three and each one has a specific target group- policy makers, beneficiaries and capacity and implementing agencies. The publications give an overview of the concept of rainwater and have a focus on the legal and administrative framework for rainwater harvesting. Book 2: Beneficiaries & Capacity.
UN-HABITAT (2005): Rainwater Harvesting and Utilisation. Blue Drop Series, Book 2: Beneficiaries & Capacity. Nairobi: UN-Habitat URL [Accessed: 12.03.2019] PDFThis paper describes a case study of a house in Kathmandu where rainwater is used for all purposes including drinking, greywater is recycled for non drinkable purposes and human excreta is utilized as a fertilizer by adopting ecological sanitation technique.
SHRESTHA, R.R. (2010): Eco Home for Sustainable Water Management- A Case Study in Kathmandu. Kathmandu: United Nation Development Program (UNDP) URL [Accessed: 12.03.2019] PDFThis handbook serves as a practical guideline featuring best practice for RWH in small island Caribbean environments. It covers the most important topics on RTRWH using helpful illustrations and pictures.
CEHI (2009): Caribbean Rainwater Harvesting Handbook. Castries: Caribbean Environmental Health Institute (CEHI) URL [Accessed: 12.03.2019] PDFThis booklet explains how to collect, store and purify rainwater for direct use at household level. It is a practical guide to creating a rainwater harvesting infrastructure from design to implementation that is illustrated with pictures, tables and examples.
HATUM, T. WORM, J. (2006): Rainwater Harvesting for Domestic Use. Wageningen: Agrosima and CTA URL [Accessed: 12.03.2019] PDFThis document provides a short summary of each of the hand drilling techniques being utilised today; a country-by-country overview of the extent of hand drilling taking place in select countries; an annotated list of organisations involved in promoting and supporting hand drilling and an extensive list of literature, from published articles to training materials and online videos.
DANERT, K. (2009): Hand Drilling Directory. St. Gallen: Rural Water Supply Network (RWSN) URL [Accessed: 11.03.2019] PDFThe Rural Water Supply Network is a global knowledge network for rural water supply technologies and approaches. The website provides many excellent publications on various topics on rural development, particularly on hand drilled wells. This section presents an overview of the scale and type of hand drilling activity being undertaken in selected countries and the organisations involved.
This field note is written for water well drilling enterprises as well as other agencies, which manage, or are involved in drilling projects. Using a step-by-step approach it gives clear guidance on how to cost and price the construction of drilled water wells. It also provides tips on business management with an emphasis of the realities faced in many countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.
DANERT, K. LUUTU, A. CARTER, R. OLSCHWESKI, A. (2010): Costing and Pricing. A Guide for Water Well Drilling Enterprises. St. Gallen: Rural Water Supply Network (RWSN) URL [Accessed: 11.03.2019] PDFAs the quality of water can be seriously affected by a disaster or an emergency, it is best practice to disinfect all emergency water supplies. The most common way of disinfecting is with chlorine. This technical note explains why disinfection is important, why chlorine is used, how it works, how to test for its presence and where and when to test.
REED, B. (2011): Measuring Chlorine Levels in Water Supplies. Technical Notes on WASH in Emergencies #11. Leicestershire: Water, Engineering and Development Centre (WEDC) URL [Accessed: 11.03.2019] PDFThis RURAL WATER SUPPLY DESIGN MANUAL is the first of three related volumes prepared for the use of prospective and actual owners, operators, managements, technical staff, consultants, government planners and contractors of small Level III and Level II water supply systems in the Philippines.
THE WORLD BANK (2012): Rural Water Supply Design Manual. Volume I. Manila: The World Bank Office Manila URL [Accessed: 11.03.2019] PDFAs the quality of water can be seriously affected by a disaster or an emergency, it is best practice to disinfect all emergency water supplies. The most common way of disinfecting is with chlorine. This technical note explains why disinfection is important, why chlorine is used, how it works, how to test for its presence and where and when to test.
REED, B. (2013): Measuring Chlorine Levels in Water Supplies. Technical Notes on WASH in Emergencies #11. Geneva: World Health Organization (WHO) URL [Accessed: 11.03.2019] PDF